Abstract

The F. Scott Fitzgerald Papers (C0187) is a comprehensive literary archive
containing the original manuscripts, working drafts, corrected galleys, personal and
professional correspondence, autobiographical scrapbooks, photographs, and other
original materials of F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940), Princeton Class of
1917.

Description

Description

This collection consists of manuscripts of all of the major literary efforts of
Fitzgerald (Princeton Class of 1917), as well as related documents and
correspondence, thus providing a comprehensive record of America's best-known writer
of the "Jazz Age." The collection encompasses novels, short stories, tear sheets,
articles, drama scripts, motion picture scripts, radio scripts, and poems; letters
sent and received; photographs, drawings, and cartoons; clippings; memorabilia;
scrapbooks; tape recordings; family papers; and papers of persons other than
Fitzgerald.

Included are the autograph manuscript of The Great
Gatsby and autograph and typewritten manuscripts (with the author's
corrections) of The Beautiful and Damned, The Last Tycoon, Tender Is the
Night, and This Side of Paradise. Among those
well-represented in the correspondence are John Pearl Bishop, Arnold Gingrich, Ernest
Hemingway, Ring Lardner, Shane Leslie, H. L. Mencken, Harold Ober (the literary
agent), Maxwell Perkins, Andrew Turnbull, and Edmund Wilson. Fitzgerald's
correspondence with Zelda, his wife, is extensive.

Collection Creator
Biography

F(rancis) Scott (Key) Fitzgerald (1896-1940), novelist, poet, playwright, screenwriter,
and author of short stories, was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. He entered Princeton
University in 1913 as an undergraduate, and joined the famous Princeton Triangle Club,
for which he wrote the scripts and lyrics for various shows. However, he withdrew from
Princeton in January, 1916, ostensibly because of his health, though actually for bad
grades. He returned to the University in 1917, but never graduated, opting to serve in
the army to fight in World War I, from 1917-1919. During this time, while stationed at
Camp Sheridan in Montgomery, Alabama, he met Zelda Sayre, a writer, artist, and dancer.
They married on April 3, 1920, a week after Fitzgerald's first novel, This Side of Paradise, was published.

Fitzgerald went on to publish three more novels in his lifetime: The Beautiful and Damned (1922), The Great
Gatsby (1925), and Tender Is the Night: A Romance
(1934). His last, and unfinished, novel, The Last Tycoon,
was published posthumously in 1941. Besides his novels, Fitzgerald also wrote numerous
articles and short stories, which were published in such magazines as The Saturday Evening Post and Esquire. He also worked as a screenwriter in Hollywood, first with
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (he had a hand in writing the script for Gone
with the Wind), then as a freelancer for other studios. In Hollywood, he met
Sheilah Graham, a film columnist. They had a relationship which was, at times, stormy,
due to Fitzgerald's alcohol-abuse problem. He died at her apartment in Hollywood of a
sudden heart attack on December 21, 1940.

1896: Born on September 24 in St. Paul, Minnesota

1913: Entered Princeton University as an undergraduate student

1916: Withdrew from Princeton University

1917: Re-entered Princeton but did not graduate; entered army; appointed second
lieutenant in October

1918: Met Zelda Sayre in Montgomery, Alabama

1919: Discharged from army; worked for a New York advertising agency

1920: March - published This Side of Paradise April 3 -
married Zelda Sayre September - published Flappers and
Philosophers (stories)

1921: October - daughter Frances Scott Fitzgerald ("Scottie") born

1922: March - published The Beautiful and Damned
September - published Tales of the Jazz Age (stories)

1925: March - published The Great Gatsby

1925-1926: Met Ernest Hemingway in Paris

1926: February - published All the Sad Young Men
(stories)

1927: Met Irving Thalberg, producer of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (later the
primary model for the hero of The Last Tycoon)

1930: Zelda had breakdown, hospitalized at a sanatorium in Switzerland

1931: Zelda released from sanatorium and the Fitzgeralds returned to live in the
United States

1933: Zelda had two more breakdowns, entered various asylums

1934: April - published Tender Is the Night

1935: Published Taps at Reveille (stories)

1937: July - went to Hollywood, California, to work as a screenwriter at MGM studios
Met Sheilah Graham

1940: December 21 - died of sudden heart attack in Hollywood

1941: The Last Tycoon (unfinished) published posthumously

Collection History

Acquisition

The papers are Fitzgerald's own, remaining in his possession at the time of his death
in 1940; they are not an artificial collection. Frances Scott ("Scottie") Fitzgerald
Lanahan (later Smith), the daughter of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda Sayre
Fitzgerald, donated the papers to the Princeton University Library in 1950.
Concerning this donation, see Matthew J. Bruccoli, "Where They Belong: The
Acquisition of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Papers," Princeton
University Library Chronicle, vol. 50, no. 1 (1988-89), pp. 30-37. Acquired
at the same time were the Zelda Fitzgerald Papers (C0183) and annotated books from
Fitzgerald's personal library (Rare Books Division).

In May 1999, the Princeton University Library was awarded a federal grant under the
"Save America's Treasures" program, administered by the National Endowment for the
Humanities (NEH), to deacidify, repair, and rehouse the F. Scott Fitzgerald Papers.
Work was completed in August 2001. As a result of the preservation project, a number
of the original boxes expanded in size to two or three boxes (e.g., Box 22 became 3
boxes, which were subsequently relabeled 22a, 22b and 22c).

Access and Use

Access Restrictions

There are no closed or sealed materials in the F. Scott Fitzgerald Papers. However,
for legal or preservation reasons, only microfilm, preservation photocopies, or
digital surrogates are generally available for Fitzgerald manuscripts, scrapbooks,
and photographs. The F. Scott Fitzgerald Papers have been heavily used since 1950,
and a substantial portion of papers has been published and is widely available in
research libraries. Accordingly, potential researchers should understand the
relationship of the papers themselves to information available in print, as here
described.

Manuscripts: Researchers should be aware that facsimiles of the manuscripts of
Fitzgerald's books and articles were published in the multi-volume series F. Scott Fitzgerald Manuscripts, edited by Matthew J.
Bruccoli and Alan Margolies (New York: Garland Publishing Company, 1990). Complete
sets of the facsimile edition are available at more than fifty research libraries
(including Firestone Library). The original manuscript of Fitzgerald's ledger is not
at Princeton. One should use F. Scott Fitzgerald's Ledger: A
Facsimile, with an introduction by Matthew J. Bruccoli (Washington, D.C.:
NCR/Microcard Editions, 1972) or refer to the photostats in Box 60 (C0187). With
respect to using Fitzgerald's manuscripts at Princeton, researchers should be aware
that the 1950 deed of gift stipulates that Fitzgerald's manuscripts were to be
microfilmed to preserve the originals, and that researchers must use the microfilm
for most purposes. Researchers who believe that there are compelling reasons why they
must have access to the original manuscripts instead of the facsimile edition or
microfilm must request permission in advance from the Curator of Manuscripts.
Researchers should also be aware of the Cambridge Edition of
the Works of F. Scott Fitzgerald, edited by James L. W. West III
(Cambridge, England, and New York: Cambridge University Press, 1991- ). Based on
Fitzgerald's manuscripts and published editions, the Cambridge edition will
eventually number 17 volumes.

Correspondence: A large portion of correspondence in the F. Scott Fitzgerald Papers
and other collections at Princeton has been published in critical editions. The
following editions of correspondence (listed alphabetically by editor) can be found
in most research libraries: As Ever Scott Fitz- : Letters
between F. Scott Fitzgerald and His Literary Agent Harold Ober,edited by
Matthew J. Bruccoli with Jennifer Atkinson (Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1972); A Life in Letters: F. Scott
Fitzgerald,edited by Matthew J. Bruccoli with Judith S. Baughman (New York:
Scribner's, 1994); Correspondence of F. Scott
Fitzgerald,edited by Matthew J. Bruccoli and Margaret Duggan with Susan
Walker (New York: Random House, 1980); Dear Scott, Dearest Zelda: The Love Letters of F. Scott and Zelda
Fitzgerald, edited by Jackson R. Bryer and Cathy Barks (New York: St.
Martin's Press, 2002); Dear Scott/Dear Max: The
Fitzgerald-Perkins Correspondence,edited by John Kuehl and Jackson R. Bryer
(New York: Scribner, 1971); Letters of F. Scott
Fitzgerald, edited by Andrew Turnbull (New York: Scribner, 1963); Scott Fitzgerald: Letters to his Daughter, edited by Andrew
Turnbull with an introduction by Frances Fitzgerald Lanahan (New York: Scribner,
1965).

Photographs: Photographs of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda Fitzgerald are very
frequently requested by publishers, newspapers, magazines, and documentary film
makers. Researchers should be aware that the Department of Rare Books and Special
Collections maintains a large file of copy negatives to facilitate reproduction of
these photographs. Most of the photographs in the F. Scott Fitzgerald Papers and
other collections at Princeton were reproduced in The Romantic
Egoists: A Pictorial Autobiography from the Scrapbooks and Albums of Scott and
Zelda Fitzgerald, edited by Matthew J. Bruccoli, Scottie Fitzgerald Smith,
and Joan P. Kerr (New York: Scribner, 1974). Often-requested images can be viewed
online by visiting the Library's RBSC Portfolio at http://libweb2.princeton.edu/rbsc2/portfolio/fsf-all-list.html.

Books: Fitzgerald's library and his own published works have been one of the chief
holdings of the department since 1951. There are 300 volumes by and about Fitzgerald
on the shelves in the rare book collections. See the Collections Files (Vertical
files) for both the rare book and the manuscript collections under FSF for lists and
other details about FSF's books. The Provenance file offers immediate access to some
of FSF's books held at Princeton. See listing updated during August 2001 ( http://libweb2.princeton.edu/rbsc2/misc/Fitzgerald.pdf). An important
highlight of the Library's Fitzgerald collection is that it holds first editions of
all but four of the 34 separate publications of FSF, as identified by Matthew J.
Bruccoli. See his F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Bibliography.
Section A. (Pittsburgh, 1972.) ((ExB)Z8301.2.B69 and Supp.). The Library also has
numerous later printings of these separate publications and these holding have been
marked in ExB copy 2 of Bruccoli. Several important novels are in their first edition
dust jackets, but the Library lacks those for This Side of
Paradise, Flappers and Philosophers, Tales of the Jazz Age, and Tender Is
the Night. In the Manuscript Division of the Library is Fitzgerald's own
copy of The Great Gatsby and his own copy of Tender Is the Night, both with corrections and annotations
in his own hand. Another highlight of the collection is the 119 separate editions of
translations of works by Fitzgerald. The collection includes the first translation of
a Fitzgerald novel into a foreign language ( Gatsby le
magnifique. Paris, 1926), as well as numerous other more recent
translations. A listing of the translations appears in the 1980 supplement of
Bruccoli's bibliography. An important microfilm held by the Library is a two reel
film of books in Sheilah Graham's personal library that were annotated by F. Scott
Fitzgerald. Call number for the film is: (Film) MICROFILM 07287. (Film made circa
1961.) Fitzgerald undertook personally to educate his close friend, Sheilah Graham,
in a course of study which came to be known as the College of One. Graham documented
the story of the College of One in her book of that title. The curriculum which
Fitzgerald prepared for her covered a broad spectrum of topics, but was especially
strong in contemporary literature. It included: history, poetry, English, American,
French, and Russian literature, music, art, and philosophy. In 1968, Graham presented
Princeton Library with the books which she used in her College of One education. Some
are formally inscribed by Fitzgerald, but others have notes by him in the margins, as
well as casual jottings such as grocery lists. There are 246 volumes in the College
of One Collection ( http://libweb2.princeton.edu/rbsc2/misc/College_of_One.pdf). The College
of One Collection is separately shelved and arranged and has the Departmental
location designator of: Coll. of One. See Department location file for details
regarding physical whereabouts of the collection. There is a checklist of the
collection, which is catalogued with call number: Z1035.xP7.1979 and (Ex)
Z1035.xP7.1979.

Use Restrictions

Selected items in the F. Scott Fitzgerald Papers can be photoduplicated at the
expense of the researcher requesting photoduplication. Advanced estimates and payment
are required. Most photoduplication will be in the form of duplicate microfilm and
photographic prints. Photocopies are not provided when microfilm exists. Formerly
closed materials relating to Zelda Fitzgerald's illness and hospitalization are not
available for photoduplication. No photocopies may be made from photocopies,
photostats, or other copied materials for which the Princeton University Library does
not hold the originals. For general information on photoduplication and permissions,
go to http://www.princeton.edu/~rbsc Requests to publish material from the F.
Scott Fitzgerald Papers should be addressed to the Curator of Manuscripts. The
correct form of citation includes the name of the collection, box and folder numbers,
and an indication that the originals are in the "Manuscripts Division, Department of
Rare Books and Special Collections, Princeton University Library." However, the
Princeton University Library owns the actual papers, not copyright or literary
rights. Therefore, the Library is not responsible for copyright infringement or other
legal problems involving the unauthorized publication of an edition, quotation, or
facsimile of the words of F. Scott Fitzgerald. The Fitzgerald copyright is owned by
the Fitzgerald Literary Trust and administered by Harold Ober Associates, Inc.
Researchers are therefore advised to address all questions about Fitzgerald literary
rights to Harold Ober Associates Inc., 425 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10017
(Telephone: 212-759-8600; FAX: 212-759-9428). Publication, reproduction, and
broadcast of the image of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda Fitzgerald involve additional
rights owned by the Fitzgerald Literary Trust and administered by Harold Ober
Associates, Inc.

Topics

Subject Terms

Genre Terms

Related Material

Since 1950, the Princeton University Library has been successful in acquiring
additional manuscripts and related materials to complement the F. Scott Fitzgerald
Papers. These materials include the F. Scott Fitzgerald Additional Papers (C0188),
comprised of Fitzgerald manuscripts, letters, memorabilia, and other materials
donated by the author's family, friends, and publishers; the Fitzgerald estate papers
retained by his executor John Biggs (C0628); the author's extensive correspondence
with his editor Maxwell Perkins, in the Charles Scribner's Sons Records (C0101);
posthumous Fitzgerald files in the archives of his literary agency, Harold Ober
Associates (C0129); the Craig House Medical Records of Zelda Fitzgerald (C0745); and
the Fitzgerald files of his biographer Arthur Mizener (C0634). Fitzgerald letters are
found in other Princeton manuscript collections, which can be identified using the
MASC (Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections) online database at: http://www.princeton.edu/~rbsc/databases/masc.html.
The Rare Books Division holds Fitzgerald first editions and inscribed books,
annotated books from Fitzgerald's personal library, and the "College of One
Collection," donated by his friend Sheilah Graham. There are selected items in the
Visual Materials Collection and in University Archives.

Together with the F. Scott Fitzgerald Papers, these rich holdings have made Princeton
the world center for primary research on Fitzgerald for more than a half century. As
a result, innumerable monographs, scholarly articles, critical editions, and media
adaptations based on the Fitzgerald Papers have been written and published since the
papers came to Princeton over 50 years ago. Potential researchers are strongly urged
to consult the standard Fitzgerald biographies, critical studies, descriptive
bibliographies and other widely available scholarly works before considering a
research trip to the Princeton University Library. For a general introduction, see
Arthur Mizener, The Far Side of Paradise: A Biography of F.
Scott Fitzgerald (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1951); Matthew J. Bruccoli,
Some Sort of Epic Grandeur: The Life of F. Scott
Fitzgerald (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1981); Matthew J.
Bruccoli, F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Descriptive
Bibliography (Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1972) and Supplement to F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Descriptive
Bibliography (Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1980 ); The Romantic Egoists: A Pictorial Autobiography from the
Scrapbooks and Albums of Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, edited by Matthew J.
Bruccoli, Scottie Fitzgerald Smith, and Joan P. Kerr (New York: Scribner, 1974).

For University Archives records relating to Fitzgerald and/or Princeton during the
period he was an undergraduate, please contact the Mudd Manuscript Library.